met free Chapter 376 The Death of Shen Jing
Chapter 376 The Death of Shen Jing
"Brother, where are you going?"
A black shadow hovered in front of Shen Jing, its voice eerie and chilling.
This wasn't the first time Shen Jing had encountered such a situation.
On his way back to Beijing from Anzhou, he did this almost every night.
Shen Pei appeared in his dreams while he was asleep.
Shen Pei appeared in front of him while he was awake.
"Go away! Don't chase me!"
Shen Jing shouted and turned to run in the opposite direction.
However, the black shadow was faster than him and was in front of him again when he turned around.
No matter which direction he goes, his shadow is always there.
Sounds came from all directions.
"Brother, you have caused me so much suffering. The water is so cold. Please come and keep me company."
"Brother, I have never done anything to wrong you, why are you trying to harm me?"
"Brother, give me back my life! I'm going to kill you!"
……
The terrifying sound still echoed in his ears, and Shen Jing felt a tightness around his neck, making it hard for him to breathe.
He pleaded with difficulty, "It's not my fault, Your Highness. You were the one who went to save someone from falling into the water."
"You still won't admit you killed me? When I was swept away by the flood, I was holding onto a piece of driftwood. It was you! You hit me with a long bamboo pole, poked my eyes, and tried to stop me from getting ashore. I couldn't dodge in time, and I lost my strength, so my hands left the driftwood, and that's how I died!"
Hearing Shen Pei's resentful and hateful voice, Shen Jing laughed loudly, "Haha, it's good that you're dead, it's good that you're dead!"
"When you were human, I couldn't do anything to you, but now that you've become a ghost, do you think I'm afraid of you? After you're buried, I'll ask a Taoist priest to put seventy-two soul-locking nails on your coffin, so you'll never be reborn! You can't reincarnate; you can only be a lonely ghost forever!"
"Seventh Prince, don't blame me for being ruthless. It's all because Father Emperor favors you and you're the Crown Prince. If you die, the position of Crown Prince will be mine."
"Go in peace!"
After Shen Jing finished speaking, he took out a talisman and slapped it onto the shadow in front of him.
In an instant, the surroundings were brightly lit.
The surrounding banners fell, and a group of people suddenly appeared before them.
The head of the Changlong Emperor.
Song Siyao and Shen Pei stood to the left and right of Emperor Changlong.
Behind them stood civil and military officials.
As for the dark figure in front of them, it was nothing more than a scarecrow.
Shen Jing was terrified when he saw this scene.
This is a million times more terrifying than Shen Pei's ghost just now.
"Crown Prince, you, you're still alive?!" Shen Jing's expression changed drastically.
"I've disappointed my royal brother." Shen Pei's face was cold.
Shen Jing understood immediately; he had been tricked. He angrily asked, "Crown Princess, did you plot against me?"
“Your Highness’s wording is inaccurate. To be precise, I merely used a little trick to make you confess to the crime you committed.” Song Siyao’s gaze was fierce.
If no scheme is used, Shen Jing can certainly be brought to justice.
However, it is inevitable that people will criticize him, saying that Shen Pei could not tolerate his brothers after becoming the crown prince.
Shen Jing had done a good job in assisting him with disaster relief, but instead of receiving credit, he was accused of harming the crown prince.
Even if the truth comes out, some people will say that Shen Pei framed Shen Jing.
After all, Shen Jing was indeed at a disadvantage compared to Shen Pei.
Song Siyao staged this whole thing to avoid such a situation.
She wanted Shen Jing to confess his crimes in front of Changlong Hao and all the civil and military officials.
Now that things have come to this, there's no point in Shen Jing trying to argue anymore.
"Prince Chen, you plotted to murder the Crown Prince, do you know your crime?" Emperor Changlong questioned.
Shen Jing sneered, "What crime have I committed? Isn't it you, Father Emperor, who is guilty? You favor the Crown Prince, and your other sons are just supporting characters, stepping stones for the Seventh Prince!"
"I volunteered to go to Anzhou for disaster relief, but you were afraid that I would steal the Crown Prince's thunder, so you let the Crown Prince go for disaster relief. I was just assisting him."
"In order to protect the Crown Prince, you have been neglecting him and making us ignore him. We fought tooth and nail, but the Crown Prince remained unharmed, and he reaped the benefits."
“From the moment Shen Pei was born, he was the only one in your heart to be the crown prince. There was nothing we could do. If you, Father, didn’t consider our needs, we would have to consider our own.”
"The position of Crown Prince isn't exclusively for Shen Pei!"
Emperor Changlong's face was gloomy, and his tone carried an unfathomable meaning.
"Do you think I've never considered your feelings? They're all my flesh and blood, and I don't want you brothers to fight each other for this position."
"The Great Zhou is still facing powerful enemies and does not need a too benevolent ruler. The people are still living a hard life. The future ruler of the Great Zhou must be benevolent and kind."
"Seventh Brother is brave and resourceful, and cares deeply for the people. He can protect the territory with an iron fist, and he can also treat the people of the world with a benevolent heart. As for you, as his brothers, as long as you do not harm him, he will not take action against you."
Emperor Changlong looked at you with disappointment and said, "But you all insist on courting death, so you can't blame anyone else."
He wasn't just saying this to Shen Jing.
There's also Shen Xuan and Shen Xuan.
Shen Jing thought about it and realized that Shen Pei was indeed the case; he had never provoked the brothers.
He looked at Shen Pei and said sarcastically, "Seventh Brother, you're lucky. You have a good mother who can secure a bright future for you even after she's dead!"
He simply refused to acknowledge Shen Pei's excellence; Shen Pei was merely someone who had a better mother than him.
"Even facing death, you show no remorse! You deserve to die!" Shen Pei's brows furrowed, his chilling aura emanating from him.
"You wicked child!" Emperor Changlong cursed, and ordered, "Prince Chen, Shen Jing, plotted to murder the Crown Prince with cruel methods. He is hereby demoted to commoner status and will be executed in three days!"
If Shen Jing hadn't mentioned the deceased Consort Rou, he might still be alive.
Everyone knows that Consort Rou is Emperor Changlong's Achilles' heel; whoever offends her will die.
"Ha ha……!"
Shen Jing laughed loudly, "How laughable is the imperial family! The imperial family is so heartless and ungrateful!"
He offered no explanation and allowed the guards to escort him away.
With the truth revealed, Shen Pei ordered the removal of the mourning hall at the Crown Prince's residence.
Shen Pei made great contributions to the disaster relief efforts. Behind him were Song Siyao's wisdom and the unconditional trust and favor of Emperor Changlong. No one could shake his position as crown prince.
Three days later, Shen Jing was executed, and the two old men who had rescued Shen Pei in Anzhou were also safe.
The first snow of the year came a bit early. On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, snowflakes fluttered in the sky, turning into salt as soon as they landed, quickly forming a thick layer that submerged pedestrians' ankles.
Song Siyao's body was getting heavier and heavier. Her belly was very big, and she had difficulty walking. She stopped going to the academy and occasionally went to the Ministry of Works to inspect the new weapons they were making.
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the Laba Festival.
The palace would hold ancestral rites and family banquets.
The ancestral worship ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Rites, and the family banquet was organized by Consort Jia.
Chenshi.
Emperor Changlong led his civil and military officials to worship their ancestors, praying for favorable weather and national peace and prosperity in the coming year.
Shen Pei stood beside Emperor Changlong and prayed for blessings with him.
Shen Xuan and Shen Xuan stood at the head of all the officials, looking up at the high platform, filled with resentment.
After the sacrificial ceremony, officials of the second rank or above could remain in the palace to attend the royal family banquet.
The family banquet was held at Qiwu Palace.
Qiwu Palace.
"Sister, if you have any complaints, take them out on me. Don't make things difficult for Xiaohui." Consort Yue stood opposite Consort Jia, looking completely innocent.
"I didn't make things difficult for her, about this..."
Consort Yue interrupted Consort Jia, "Sister, calm down, listen to me."
She reached out and grabbed Consort Jia's arm.
The next second, she screamed, "Ah!"
Then, she fell to the ground, yelling, "It hurts! My stomach hurts so much!"
Beneath him, the white snow was stained red with blood, a shocking sight.